Submarine-salvaging apparatus



June 17, 1930. J. scHlERl-:NBECK l SUBMARINE SALVAGING APPARATUS Filed March 20, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l V .R.,w w... w mr m Lat mlw :14 0 i 4 0 l y l p A A www June 17, 1930. J. scHu-:RENBECK SUB-MARINE SALVAGING APPARATUS 2 sheets-sheet 2 Fild March 20,v 1928 wnNEssEs da #XM M 61 arsv Patented June 17, 1930 ,UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN SCHIERNBECK, or ALBANY, NEW Yom:

I SUBMARINE-SALVAGING APPARATUS Application mea March 2o, 192s.' serial No. 263,172.

This invention relates to an apparatus for and system of salvaging or raising submarine boats.

The principal object of the present inven- 5 tion is to provide an apparatus adapted to be used in accordance with a novel system enabling a salvaging crew with the aid ofth-e appurtenancesy of a mother ship, to raise a sunken submarine boat without requiring di- 10 vers to be sent down to the sunken boat;V

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the inventionresides in the combination, construction and the operation of the parts hereinafter fully described and illusvi5 trated in the accompanying drawings, in

1 25 yon the hull of the boat'.

Y Fig. 8 is a plan view of one of the'appun tenances on the hull of the boat, parts being broken away to show certain features.

Fig. 4 isa sectional View taken on the line T80 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing one of the grapples-in grappling position.

l ig. 6 is a sectional View taken substantially on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5. f 'y Fig.'7 is a view of one of the details.

In accordance with the present invention ya suitable number of floats carried by the submarine lboat at practical points are released by members ofthe crew who happen to be trapped within the watertight compartments of the sunken boat, each of the floats being relea'sably Vheld by holding andv releasing` means which may be operated from. the inte rior ofl the compartments or vother places. Each of the floats carries to the surface the ends of va suitable and efficient length of cable or like vflexible element. Each cable or like element passes around a suitablev anchored lroller or like element on the boat. One end ofeach cableis then detachedfrom thefloat and is connected with a grapple, while'a pullj ing force is applied to the other end of the cable to engage its grapple with suitable co. operating means on the boat. Each grapple has connected therewith a heavy lifting cablel to'which a lifting force is applied by certain appurtenances on the mother ship to raise the sunken boat to the surface.

Although more than one set of similar devices will be used in carrying out a salvaging -60 operation in which a submarine boat will be raised, -only one set has been illustrated in the drawings, and described hereinafter.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, it will be apparent that,'there is '65 illustrated a submarine boat 10. A casing 11 is secured in place to the hull of the boat, and said casing 11 is open at the top. Anchored near the bottom of the ycasing 11 transversely thereof is a roller 12. A suitable crib or re- "70 ceptacle' 13 is arranged within the casing 11 at each side of the roller 12. yA support 14 is rigidly secured within the casing 11 above the roller 12,.is disposed transversely, and has a central opening 15. Arranged within .P the casing 11 Hush withthe upper open end thereof 4is a ring 16. The ring 16 is rigidly secured in place in any suitable manner. A oat 17 of hollow construction having the proper water displacement so as torise to "80 the surface with considerable added weight connected therewith, is adapted to be an arranged within the upper open end of the ycasing 11. ,f The oat 17 has a flange 18 adapted to come down into kcontact with the ring '89 16 and form a watertight joint, there being a suitable gasket ^19`on the under side of the flange 18 which engages the ring 16.

lLugs 2 0 are secured to the under side of the flange ,18, extend downwardly therefrom, "199 and eachvhas a holev21. Any suitable number of lugs 20 may be used, there being two in the-present instance which are arranged' diametrically opposite each other. A length of cable or,V like flexible element 22 has the opposite ends thereof `connected as at 23 with the eyeof a short rod'24: connected with the bottom ofthe fioatl. Before the ends vof the `cable ,22 are connected with theeye of the rod 24it isf-passed beneath the roller 12.

l/Vhen the float 17 is in place the cable 22 is piled or nested inthe cribs or receptacles 13, as shown most clearly in Fig. 4. A spring 25 rests on the support 14, and is in `engagement with the bottom ofthe float 17. The spring 25 is normally under compression so that when the float 17 is released it imparts an initial upward movement thereto, which will move the flange 18 from t-he ring 16 and allow water to enter the casing11. v Y

The float 17 is releasably held in place by a holding and releasing means. means in the present instance includes a latch member 26 pivotally mounted as at 27. The latch member 26 has a stud 23 on its upper end adapted to `engage in the hole 21 of one of the lugs 20, and the lower end of the latch member has a lug 29. The lug 29 has connected therewith one end of a lead 30 of a flexible element or cable 31 which runs to the interior of the watertight compartments of the boat withinV convenient reach of members of the crew of the boat. The lead 30 passes around suitable pulleys. A spring 32 has one end thereof fixed to the casing 11 as at 33 and the opposite end thereof is in engagement with the latch member 26 as at 34. The spring 32 yieldably holds the latch member in a position in which its lug 29 is disposed in thehole 21 of the related lug 2O.y The latch member 26 has 'connected therewith a member 35 having a plug 36 which controls an opening in the wall of 'the casing 11. lt will nowbe apparent that when a pull is exerted on the cable 31, the latch members 26 will be moved disengaging their studs respectively1 from the lugs 20, thus releasing the float '17. At the same time the plugs 36 respectively on the Amembers 35 Will be movedout of the openings 37, and the spring 32 will function imparting initial upward movement to the float 17. Water will then enter the casing 11 through the openings 37 equalizing the pressure at the top and bottom of the float 17 which will then rise to the surface carrying with it the ends of the cable 22, as appears in Fig. 1. The casing 11 is provided with a stuliing box 38 through which the cable 31V passes, the said stuffing box preventing water from passing. 'out of the casing to the interior of the boat.

When the float 17 rises to the surface, the ends of the cable 22 are detached therefrom, androne end of said cable is connected with a grapple 39, and the opposite end thereof is connected with a power machine 'or winding drum 40 on a tender or mother ship 41 for the purpose of engaging the grapple 39 with the ring 16, the latter constituting means with which the grapple is desired to cooperate for the purpose of grappling the nill of the boat 10. The grapple 39 includes a block 42 having pivotally connecting therewith latch members 43 oppositely disposed, and each beingunder the influence of rlhe said a spring 44 carried by the block 42. The block 42 will have connected therewith a heavy lifting cable or like element 45.

It will now be apparent that due to the fact that the cable or like element 22 is passed around the roller'12 when it is connected with the block 42 of the grapple, the latch members 43 will encounter the ring 16 as the grapple is being drawn into place by reason of the pulling force applied to the cable 22. The latch members 43 will be moved against their springs 44 until the ends of the latch members 43 clear the ring 16, as shown in Fig.

6. After theends of the latch members 43 have cleared the ring 16 they will be moved by the springs 44 to active positions to engage the under side of the ring 16. By applying a lifting force to the cable 45, this lifting force will be transferred to the hull of the boat 10 by parts connected with the hull and the ring 16.

s ln order to disengagethelatch members 43 vfrom the ring 16 to raise the grapple 39 for any reason, each latch member 43 has connected therewith a cable 46, as at 47, which passes around small sheave 43 on the block 42. y f l Y Y f From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention resides in the apparatus described hereinabove, and the system of raising a sunken submarine boat which consists in releasing floats normally held in place on the boat to carry to thesurface of the water above the boat, the opposite end of lengths of cables orv like elements respectively connected with the floats and which are passed around anchored members on the boat, bringing grapples from the surface into engagement with means secured to the boat by connecting one end of each cable with each grapple, applying a pullingV force to the opposite end of each Acable while passed around its related anchored member to thus 'engage the grapple, and then applying -adlifting force to another but heavier cable connected with each grapple so engaged, to raise the boat to the surface.p Y f v It is to be understood'that the invention vis not restrictedy to the vprecise arrangement of partsgshown and described, as details of construction may be modified and rearranged without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim: l

1. The combination with the hull ofa submarine boat, of a cable raising float, a casing ,on the hull adaptedto receive and support the float, ysaid float servingas anoutside closure forthe casing,. means interiorly ofthe casing adapted to move said oat outwardly relatively to said casing, means which holds said float in placefa'nd which may be operated to releasesaid float so that the-latteriwill be acted on' by ltheffirst mentioned means, and

means operated by the operation of the second mentioned means to allow water to enter said casing, to obtain Water pressure inside of said casing equal to that on the outside thereof to supplement the action of the first mentioned means.

2. Apparatus for raising a submarine boat including the combinationl of a ring on thev hull of the boat, a lifting grapple including a block and spring actuated latch members on said block adapted to be engaged with said ring` to anchor the grapple to said hull, an element secured to said hull below said ring, a cable connected with said block which is to be passed around said element, whereby a pulling force may be applied to said cable at the surface of the Water in which the boat lies, to engage said latch members with said ring, and means operable from the surface of the water t0 disengage said latch members 1flrom said ring to release the grapple from the ull.

Signed at Albany, in thel county of Albany and State of New York, this 15th day of March A. D., 1928. I

JOI-IN SCHIERENBECK. 

